American Beautyberry 10 Live Plants Callicarpa Americana Bird Attracting Beautiful Berries and Foliage

American beauty-berry most often grows 3-5 ft. tall and usually just as wide. It has long, arching branches and yellow-green fall foliage, but its most striking feature is the clusters of glossy, iridescent-purple fruit sometimes white which hug the branches at leaf axils in the fall and winter. This native plant prefers the soil of its natural forest floor habitat - a moist clay or sand enriched with organic matter. It will fruit most abundantly in full sun but may be grown in light shade. The plant needs minimal care once its roots are established. Callicarpa americana, commonly called beautyberry, is a loose open shrub valued for its spectacular fruits. The relatively insignificant flowers develop into prolific bright violet to magenta berry-like drupes which encircle the stem. These fruits remain attractive for a long time although they are generally gone before severe winter weather. The size and loose open habit of beautyberry makes it best for the back of a shrub border where it may be massed in large landscapes or where it may be naturalized. Beautyberry plants are said to bear more fruit if several are planted together. he berries ripen in September through October and are a favorite among wild bird species including cardinals, mockingbirds, finches, woodpeckers and more. Beautyberry is commonly planted in landscape designs to attract wildlife because of the food source the berries provide and the cover animals get from the shrub itself.